Fresh from their triumph over arch-rivals East Bengal in the Kolkata derby, Mohun Bagan will look to extend their unbeaten streak to seven matches when they face NEROCA FC in Imphal.
Spanish coach Kibu Vicuna wanted to forget the derby win and remained cautious ahead of facing the Manipuri side who defeated Real Kashmir in their last match.
“We only played 40 per cent of the league. We still have 60 per cent to play. The derby is past and now we have to focus on this game. it is a very tough game. NEROCA played very well in the last game, they won against Real Kashmir.
"They have a lot of young and talented players. They have good foreigners in every position. They have a good team and for sure it will be a very difficult match,” said Vicuna.
The Mohun Bagan coach once again heaped praise on youngster Nongdamba Naorem but suggested that people need to be more patient when handling upcoming talent like him.
“Dhanachandra Singh and Nongdamba Naorem are players from Manipur. Nongdamba is a young player. He is improving very much. This is the beginning of the season. I am very happy with him. You have to be patient with young players.”
I-League
Mohun Bagan’s Senegalese striker Baba Diawara finally got his name on the scoresheet in the all-important derby and Vicuna was all praise for the former Sevilla player. He even went to say that Diawara has the best pedigree in the league.
“Baba Diawara is a phenomenal striker. In my opinion, he is the best striker in the league. But he just started with us. He needs time to know the players, to know the I-League. He scored a fantastic goal in the Kolkata derby, in a difficult game. He has the best CV in the league. We are very happy with him. But at the end of the day, the most important thing is the team. The most important thing is that the team is scoring.”
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